Hi, everyone. I'm new here, in case you didn't already guess that! By way of a proper tea introduction: I got into drinking high quality loose teas (instead of dusty tea bags) 3-4 years ago. Most of the teas I drink are from Adagio, though I occasionally buy things from local tea shops, as well. My fave teas are oolongs, but for me its all about trying as many things as possible--I love the variety that Adagio offers. I do have to say that I did NOT enjoy pu-erh, but that's the only tea I've met that I really didn't like.

I joined the forum not only because I enjoy tea, but because I've been wanting to participate in the teachef contests for a long time now, and I finally got around to experimenting with a recipe in time to enter! I'm glad to have an outlet for tea cooking experiments here, because I love cooking. Using tea for more than drinking is such a new idea to me that I'm loving the opportunity to brainstorm. I'm hoping there are fellow teachefs here ready to talk about recipes!

So, its lovely to meet you all. I'm looking forward to chatting, and I know that I'll learn a lot!

Chamekke--My loose tea experience is still pretty limited, compared to what I've read on some of the threads here. Most of the ones I've tried have been from adagio...and a few from teavanna and some from a place in Western MD called "the tea cupboard" (the lady there was so awesome, btw). That said, I'm really enamoured with wuyi ensemble and oolong #40 right now. I was disenchanted with black teas for a while, but I think its because I was ordering the flavored ones and they brew a little bitter for my tastes. Recently, I went to a tea tasting where it was predominantly black teas. After that, I realized I have to give black tea another chance. I just tried yunnan gold and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I have a "bolivian black" from the aforementioned tea cupboard shop that is so unique and interesting--very dark and earthy, which I enjoy. I'm excited to try all my new ones (my most recent order had quite a few black tea samples included). What else...oh, I'm still a sucker for caramel rooibos, cocomint and valentines!

Riene--I'm looking forward to cooking with tea experiments, too! I've been chatting with soapy over on the teachef section since I signed up--come join us!

Question for all you seasoned tea-drinkers/forumnites....is there a good place to go to learn the basics? I thought I had a decent tea-drinking foundation, but I've been wandering around here aimlessly reading about all sorts of things that I've never heard of....For instance, I saw a poll for eastern vs. western brewing styles, and I have to admit--i don't know what it was talking about! Is there a tea tutorial or something that you could recommend?

Hi Jewelbug. First of all, welcome to TeaChat! The poll you mentioned was on TeaDay I believe. TeaDay is a great place to learn as you go as is the entire forum. A lot of newer members were in the same position you are today. In a few short months, I am amazed how much knowledge and skill they have picked up.

You can always ask a question on the forum if you do not understand what we are talking about.

Eastern vs western (English) brewing. Your first lesson. Eastern brewing typically uses less water, more leaf and shorter brew times. English brewing has a formula of 2.3 grams leaf per 6 ounces water for 3 to 5 minutes. A bit of an oversimplification perhaps. But it is a good introduction to the concept.

Please feel free to share what tea you are drinking on TeaDay. There is no reason to feel intimidated, and it is often pretty casual. I hope to see you there.